I teach because I have to. In all the jobs I've had to pay my way through life, only teaching has (as of today) not left an empty feeling. This is my calling; and sometimes I feel that I chose to teach as much as teaching chose me.
*Note: The thoughts expressed here are my own and not intended to represent the school or district I work for.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Masculinity vs. Femininity

I am a man--who happens to like Oprah, teaches literature, uses hair products, and goes to a salon once a month to have my hair styled. No, really, I am a man. I watch football, baseball, basketball, hockey, paintball, NASCAR, bull-riding, or any other quasi sport put on ESPN. Once in a while, I get moody and bloated. Other times, I feel the urge to hunt down my own food by pillaging the meat section at Safeway. My seniors are writing essays about these two themes; they will attempt to keep me interested in a subject that should pose little difficulty in holding ones attention. But, somehow my students will find a way to bore me to tears with introductory sentences like, "What does it mean to be a man?" Umm, maybe it means not writing that sentence to start an essay? Ever think about that? I wish that these students would take a risk, you know? Really let it all hang out there--their real thoughts on what it means to be a man or a woman. I wish they would inventively humor me with quips about the genders that expresses both the holiness of each gender and the unholiness of each. One student said she planned on writing about how men think only with a certain body part. Now that would be an interesting essay; a bit irreverant, but much more interesting than, "I think that women can be equal to men." Really? You do? I can't wait to read why.I'll let you know some of the deep thoughts on the subject that come out of these essays. I'm sure you'll enjoy.

2 Comments:

I like the idea of this project...while I see the potential for a never-ending trip to Snoresville, I think some of my kiddos could do it up. With that being said... *snatches and runs away with project under oversized coat*